Marjoleine de Vos and Marja Pruis critique memoirs of Adriaan van Dis and Christien Brinkgreve

In a double interview published in NRC, literary commentators Marjoleine de Vos and Marja Pruis discuss recent memoirs by Dutch writers. Both interviewees have themselves authored books about deceased family members, prompting a focus on how personal loss is portrayed in literature.

De Vos examines Adriaan van Dis’s work, noting his blending of diary and novel forms and his claim to “invent the truth.” She argues that such liberties are permissible, even if the result can feel “tasteless.” Pruis turns to Christien Brinkgreve’s memoir Overbeladen huis, describing its intimate revelations about her late husband as “painful” and “quasi‑open‑hearted,” while questioning whether the full truth is disclosed.

Both commentators reflect on the responsibilities of memoir writers to balance honesty with respect for the subjects, especially when the subjects are no longer alive to respond.